On Politics & Economy

As the EU leaders discuss plans for recovery post-corona, the idea of an EU Green recovery is gaining ground. But is it realistic, given the need for both speed and transparency in the months ahead?

What is Universal Basic Income and why might it provide a new way of understanding and rewarding work, in an increasingly globalised world?

As the EU leaders discuss plans for recovery post-corona, the idea of an EU Green recovery is gaining ground. But is it realistic, given the need for both speed and transparency in the months ahead?

‘The era of a somewhat naïve Europe has come to an end’, says Josep Borrell, Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. He spoke at the recent EU Defence Washington Forum hosted by the Brookings Institute. Covid 19 has highlighted areas of vulnerability in a manner … Read More

As the EU leaders discuss plans for recovery post-corona, the idea of an EU Green recovery is gaining ground. But is it realistic, given the need for both speed and transparency in the months ahead?

Mikhail Khodorksovsky was Russia’s wealthiest man until he found himself in prison for 10 years because he spoke out against Putin.

‘Bleeding heart liberal’, Deirdre McCloskey and progressive capitalist, Joseph Stiglitz, see human nature very differently. These two world class economists were in Amsterdam this week to talk about their new books. Deirdre McCloskey’s, ‘Why Liberalism Works’ and Joseph Stiglitz’s ‘People, Power and Profits’. Their latest offerings place these two giants of American economics in direct … Read More

As the EU 27 prepare to debate the corona recovery budget, ambitious plans for borrowing €750 billion on the markets mean the euro is finally coming of age. Will it also help heal long standing North/South divides?

As the EU leaders discuss plans for recovery post-corona, the idea of an EU Green recovery is gaining ground. But is it realistic, given the need for both speed and transparency in the months ahead?

As the EU leaders discuss plans for recovery post-corona, the idea of an EU Green recovery is gaining ground. But is it realistic, given the need for both speed and transparency in the months ahead?

Covid 19 is expected to result in the worst economic recession since the European Union began. Capital Markets Union (CMU), begun in wake of the last economic crisis, could help to significantly counter some of the worst long term effects of this recession. But harmonizing the capital markets of 27 separate member states, is no … Read More

As the EU leaders discuss plans for recovery post-corona, the idea of an EU Green recovery is gaining ground. But is it realistic, given the need for both speed and transparency in the months ahead?

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash China’s international image has been decades in the making. Although democracy and human rights have never been high on the Communist Party’s agenda – phenomenal economic growth paired with a reasonable record of line towing with regards to international organisations and diplomacy resulted in acceptance by many Western nations … Read More

Johnson’s victory in Westminster, was not reflected in similar anti-Brexit sentiment in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Is this the beginning of the end for the United Kingdom of Great Britain?

Europe is in need of a ‘democratic transplant’. So says Sorbonne Professor, Antoine Vauchez and co-author of the Manifesto for the Democratization of Europe.

Iran’s nuclear ambitions have long been a headache for the Middle East and beyond. Trump’s maximum pressure approach to an increasingly conservative, hostile Iranian government has not solved the nuclear problem for the Biden administration. Ongoing sanctions are expensive and difficult to monitor. There is increasing pressure from both inside and outside Iran to return … Read More

As protests in Hong Kong erupt in wake of the introduction of controversial National Security Law, the one country, two systems approach appears to be a relic of the past, in spite of Beijing’s claims to the contrary. Increased police powers, trial without jury and immunity for Chinese agents operating in Hong Kong are all … Read More

Covid 19 has brought hardship and suffering to many. But, at the risk of sounding cliched; it’s an ill wind that blows no man any good. If a recent discussion with German Finance Minister, Olaf Scholz, is anything to go by, there are strong signs that the pandemic will prove a catalyst to the kinds … Read More

As the EU leaders discuss plans for recovery post-corona, the idea of an EU Green recovery is gaining ground. But is it realistic, given the need for both speed and transparency in the months ahead?